Blazers react to loss of 'heart and soul' of team, Wes Matthews

Thursday night's disappointing loss of Wesley Matthews extends far beyond his 3-point shooting and wing defense for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Matthews, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon on Thursday and is out for the season, was not only one of the primary reasons the team ranks third in defensive efficiency and their leading gunner from outside, he's also the team's engine, so to speak.

"He's the heart and soul of this team," LaMarcus Aldridge lamented after the game, just one example of a large outpouring of emotional reaction from Matthews' Blazers teammates.

From the team's stars in Aldridge and Damian Lillard down to the role players tasked with replacing him like C.J. McCollum, every Portland player seemed distraught at the loss.

"You can't make up for Wes Matthews," Lillard said. "But we can have guys, multiple guys, come in and do things to still help the team play at a high level."

Maybe so, and McCollum showed flashes of potential earlier in the year. The team also acquired Arron Afflalo at the trade deadline, a depth deal that now means a lot more.

"It definitely doesn't hurt to have those guys," Aldridge said. "But you can't replace who he is and what he's meant to this organization. With those guys, they're going to help us, but they can't be him."

In Matthews, an impending unrestricted free agent - poor timing for an injury, not that there's a good time - the Blazers are out 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and a 38.8 percent marksman from outside. Based on the team's reactio to his injury, they're also out one of the league's primary glue guys.

It didn't stop within the organization, with several former teammates and players around the league also reaching out.